When the Past Bites Back
by Fictionnaire
Summary: What happens when JAG Lawyer Faith Coleman is being blackmailed because she appeared in an issue of GSM. Can NCIS find out whos blackmailing her? Written for NFA's GSM challenge. Rated for sexual references
1. Chapter 1

_**When The Past Bites Back...**_

Tony watched Ziva work hard on her computer. His attention turned to McGee who was having a tough time concentrating on his own work. Tony knew that there was a chance they could die in the line of duty. They risked their lives every time they walked through the doors. But he never once thought that the killer would be boredom. He rapped his fingers on the desk as loud as he could.

"Dear God," Tony grumbled. He coughed loudly to disguise the sound of paper being fiddled with. He rolled up the paper until it resembled a ball. Fortunately, he kept a large amount of paper in the bottom drawer to battle these case-free moments. "If it ain't broke... McGuyver it. Watch me take this ordinary rubber band, these two rulers and an elastic band and a paper ball with an eraser in it," Tony said in his voice over voice.

"What?" Ziva asked. She stopped typing.

And I'll turn it into a missile launcher," Tony said as he placed the rulers in a v-pattern and held them up against the desk with the closed drawer. Quickly, he wrapped the lackey band across the top so it was strung tight. He flicked the band to test it's elasticity before smiling.

"Do not do what I think you are about to do," Ziva's eyes narrowed in a threatening gesture.

Tony raised his eyebrows innocently. "Yeah you're right," Tony turned his attention back to his own computer screen. "I guess I got too carried away," he added just loud enough for her to hear it.

"Good," Ziva responded as she got back to her work. That was the break that Tony was waiting for. McGee shook his head as he saw Tony move as quick as lightning to set up the paper ball and pull back on the band to send it lobbing towards Ziva.

"Incoming!" Tony shouted. Ziva jumped as the ball of paper landed right in front of her. "Come on... You're telling me crazy ninja Mossad chic is afraid of a little paper," Tony waggled his eyebrows. Ziva threw the paper back at Tony who made no attempt to dodge the missile and laughed as he placed the ball on his keyboard.

"Tony," McGee got his attention.

"What?" He responded in annoyance. McGee pointed to a woman walking into the bullpen with purposeful steps. Tony couldn't help but smile at the unmistakable black haired, slightly freckled figure of Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman. What made her look out of place was that she was wearing dark blue casual clothes.

"Where is Agent Gibbs?" Faith always got straight to the point. She never engaged in small talk especially not with the NCIS Agents. Ever since they first crossed paths, they've done everything they could to thwart her attempts at doing her job.

"M-TAC... Don't know when he's coming out," McGee responded. He kind of hoped that it had something to do with some sort of case.

"Well... What can NCIS do for you?" Tony leaned back in the chair. Whenever Faith Coleman entered NCIS, things sure got interesting.

"I'm not here for JAG. I need your help," a usual confident Faith was looking rattled and unsure of herself. And Tony was a shark that smelled blood as she placed her briefcase on his desk.

"_You _need _our _help?" McGee was the first one to speak. They were trying to overcome their state of stunned silence.

"What about your buddies in JAG?" Tony asked. Every time they had anything to do with JAG it turned into a real pissing match.

Faith was well prepared for that question and had her answer perfectly laid out. She had carefully run through the possibilities beforehand and help from the NCIS team looked the best way to go. "Despite our differences you are good, discreet and I'm desperate," Faith knew that this would get an immature snigger from Tony.

Gibbs walked into the bullpen just in time to hear Faith tell Tony she was desperate. It was a rarity to see Faith out of uniform. "What can NCIS do for you?" Gibbs asked. He pondered why Faith was unofficially visiting NCIS.

Faith slid her briefcase off Tony's desk and approached Gibbs. "I'll get straight to the point, Agent Gibbs. I'm being blackmailed," she said without changing her tone. There was a collective gasp from everyone except Gibbs.

"Alright, alright... I'll bite. What could you have done that you could be blackmailed for?" Tony asked and he saw Ziva and McGee give a slight nod. They were thinking the exact same thing.

"I'm involved in a high profile case. When I was at University... My roommate and I had a few drinks after an exam. For some reason we thought it would be a great idea to pose in a relatively unknown magazine for some money," Faith explained. She wasn't sure how much to divulge. They hadn't agreed to help her out yet.

"Playboy?" Tony's eyebrows rose. McGee stifled a laugh. The thought of Faith appearing on a Playboy spread was just funny.

"No... not Playboy. Get Sexual Magazine... GSM," Faith answered and looked away, embarrassed when Tony eyed her closely.

"You are kidding?" Ziva said. She knew Tony would be thinking the same thing. They were avid readers of GSM.

Faith didn't respond. "This was left in my letterbox at my house," she said when she handed Gibbs a printed out letter, the team stood around Gibbs' desk to hear the letter's contents. Their boss looked through the letter before reading it out loud.

_Lieutenant Commander Faith C. Coleman_

_We've all done things we're not a hundred percent proud of. There are choices that we wish to keep secret. Me. The boy up the street. You, imagine my surprise when I realized that several years ago, the high powered Jag Lawyer, Lt. Commander Faith Coleman had posed for provocative pictures for the smutty magazine GSM. I understand your need to keep these pictures private since some of your cases are high profile and well publicized. Now, I understand that you are no millionaire... So I will be generous. So, I make you an offer... $60,336.75 is more than fair. For that price, I will hand over all proof in my possession and never speak of you or GSM again._

_We will speak again._

"McGee, take this to Abby. DiNozzo and Ziva, it may be a long day. Go get some food," Gibbs ordered.

Tony put a pen in his mouth and smiled. "Well there miss... Looks like you just acquired the services of the A-Team," Tony used the pen like a cigar.

"What?" Faith asked.

Gibbs glared at Tony and he grimaced. "Getting some food, boss," Tony changed his tone quickly and left with Ziva to go to the canteen.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony put the money on the counter and picked up the tray of food. Then he stopped mid action. "What?" Ziva asked him. She was surprised at his sudden inaction. Tony froze as if he had been struck across the face.

"Damn," Tony emphasized the word with a quick nod.

"What?" Ziva repeated the previous question.

"While we're picking up food and McGee's with Abby, Gibbs is probably getting a look at those GSM pictures," surely his Boss needed to know everything. Perhaps it would be the first time Gibbs had seen inside an issue of GSM.

"Well...," Ziva began to say.

"Come on," Tony said to her. They were probably too late to catch a peek but he was already thinking of ways to find the issue that Faith had appeared in.

"Gibbs is not going to show you the pictures if he does not deem it necessary," Ziva said to him as they left the cafeteria.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Tony picked up a chip as they walked. Of course Gibbs wouldn't make it easy and Faith wouldn't volunteer that information. Tony always prided him self on being resourceful and this would be a good test. Sooner or later, he'd figure it out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**BULLPEN**

Gibbs had assumed that Tony would soon realize what was happening and double time it back from the cafeteria. His Senior Field Agent will try and find out everything and probably set out to embarrass the hell out of Faith. Gibbs knew he'd have to keep Tony's mind occupied somehow. He shook his head as he watched Tony place the tray of food down. Of course Tony's choice of food left a lot to be desired. It was surprising to see Faith start eating the hot chips.

"Surprised I enjoy this kind of food?" She asked in response to their looks. "Lots of late hours, sometimes got to live on take-away or cafeteria food," that's whe she liked to run so she could work off those unwanted calories.

"So is there any one you know of that would do this?" Gibbs asked as soon as McGee walked in.

"The only one I can think of is the defense attorney," Faith answered as she ate. "But I know him well and I don't believe he'll do it," she made sure to add.

"We'll question him," Gibbs said.

"Name's Christopher Jones," Faith told them.

Tony nodded as he wrote the name down. "How about the office of GSM? Maybe someone from there knows something," Tony didn't have the foresight to disguise the hopeful tone in his voice. Everybody waited for the Gibbs response.

"DiNozzo and I will check GSM tomorrow," Gibbs said and Tony's eyes widened as the others entered a stunned silence. "McGee, I want you and Abby to analyze everything about the letter... Ziva, you go and speak with Christopher Jones. Commander Coleman... If you can think of anything else we need to know, call me," Gibbs ordered as they exchanged numbers.

"Wish I had my camera ready," Tony leaned over towards McGee and Ziva. "This could be a sign of Armageddon... NCIS and JAG working together and Faith Coleman in a girly-mag. The hounds of hell will be coming out of the elevator next," Tony winked. The three of them stood up when the elevator dinged. They laughed when two agents exited.

"I expect you three to be working first thing," Gibbs said. He had no idea why the three had suddenly started laughing. He knew that inviting DiNozzo along to the GSM office would be seen as an idiotic lapse of judgment, but it was all part of his plan to occupy his Senior Field Agent's mind.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

**JAG (FALLS CHURCH)**

Ziva David was shown the office that Christopher Jones was occupying. She sat down on the other side of the desk and waited for Christopher Jones to sit down. "What can I do for NCIS?" He asked.

"We're currently investigating a blackmail case," Ziva answered. Years of Mossad interrogation training... her eyes narrowed and she focused on the man's face as she entered human lie detector mode.

"What does that have to do with me?" Christopher asked. He had a lot of work to do. The opening statement needed a rewrite.

"We are speaking to anyone who might have something to gain from it," Ziva stepped cautiously. She knew she had to be discreet since someone's reputation was at stake.

"What would I have to gain from blackmailing someone?" Christopher asked.

Ziva expected the lawyer to be a difficult read. Lawyers had good poker faces. "You have an important case coming up. One I am sure a win will push you up the ladder, yes?" Ziva pressed on with her train of thought. "It will look good and do well for your career," she added.

"Whoa there, Agent David. I've worked damn hard to get where I am. I didn't get here by cutting corners or taking the easy way out. If you think I'll throw it all away because I don't think I can win," Christopher felt angry at having his ability challenged in such a way.

"You are angry. But, I did not question your ability," Ziva knew that his anger was genuine.

"You mentioned an upcoming case. Why else would a lawyer need to blackmail someone," Christopher pointed out. "Wait..." he choked back a chuckle. He knew it'd be dangerous to blackmail a judge. The jury had not yet been selected. "Wait," he could feel the laugh coming on. "Someone's blackmailing Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman?" He held his lips shut with his forefinger in a vain attempt to stop from smiling.

"This is not a funny matter," Ziva chastised the lawyer.

"I know... I'm sorry. Of course it's not funny," Christopher responded. He couldn't sound convincing with the laughter in his tone. "It's just... What the Hell has Coleman done that would warrant somebody blackmailing her. I get it. You can't tell me that," he continued after he settled down and was able to talk normally.

"Thank you for your time," Ziva stood up. The only thing she was certain about was that Christopher was not responsible. His defensive attitude seemed genuine and his inappropriate response was out of surprise.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Abby's Lab**_

"Right," Abby said in a disappointed tone. Not even Caf-Pow was perking her up. The letter was refusing to reveal its secrets to her. It was as if it didn't want to tell her. The image of the letter appeared larger than life on the plasma screen.

"You got something?" McGee sounded hopeful. Abby looked up, her magnifying goggles made her eyes look huge.

"What we have here... Is your average run of the mill every day sort of printer paper. Basically, the type of paper you get from every post office or Wal-Mart. The ink is el-cheapo. No fingerprints. This paper, straight from the ream. Clean of fingerprints except for Faith's, Gibbs and Tony's," Abby shook her head before she took a large mouthful of cad-pow. The paper and ink gave her no clues.

"How about the wording?" McGee read through the contents again thoroughly. "Why 60,336.75?" He voiced the question that was on both their minds. "I mean, why not just 60,000 or 70,000. Come on, there must be in that. Is it something to buy? A car, memorabilia?" McGee rattled off some thoughts.

"Maybe not," Abby sipped her Caf-Pow loudly. "Okay... What do we have? A really good lawyer... But I doubt that she has that money sitting around. Maybe it's not blackmail at all. Perhaps they're out to discredit her and end her career. Perhaps an old boyfriend. Tony's going to love this... We may have to dig a little deeper into Faith Coleman's love life," Abby couldn't help but smile. "Where is Tony? I bet he'd love this part," Abby removed her goggles and placed them in the drawer.

"He's with Gibbs. They're at the GSM office," McGee answered.

"You, You're kidding. Gibbs is taking Tony to Get Sexual Magazine's office? Tony must be going all giddy inside," Abby tried to imagine Tony and Gibbs traveling together to GSM. He would be driving the boss-man nuts.

"Surprised me to," McGee responded. Their boss must have had his reasons for such a judgment but McGee just couldn't figure them out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony couldn't believe his luck. He was deliberately quiet from NCIS to there and on his best behavior. Part of him felt like Gibbs would turn the car around if he became over enthusiastic. Tony adjusted his tie and put his hair in place. He wanted to look good since this was a dream come true. "You need some deodorant to?" Gibbs knew his Senior Field Agent was excited and it shone through no matter how hard Tony tried to hide it.

Tony froze on the spot. He sniffed the collar of his shirt then relaxed. Gibbs seemed to be the only one who could get under his skin so easily. "No Boss," Tony responded as they walked into the small foyer.

"Do you have an appointment? He's busy with a shoot at the moment," The secretary asked. She was happy to have her monotonous non busy day interrupted.

"Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Agent Jethro Gibbs," Tony introduced themselves and showed the ID. "We're here to speak with Dean Haley," of course he knew the names of the main people affiliated with the magazine.

"Alright... Take the elevator and I'll let Mister Haley know you're coming up. It's on the fourth floor," the secretary told them.

"Thank you, Anna," Tony smiled. She had looked familiar but it took some time to place her to a name. Gibbs and Anna stared at him with stunned expressions. "Sorry... Mistress of the Armory, 2000. Your hair's longer now. Oh and writer of the Turn Ons, Turn Offs series," Tony smiled again.

"Refreshing... Someone does read the articles," Anna laughed.

Tony followed Gibbs into the elevator. "You see Anna takes a look at places such as offices or gyms and writes about what turns people off and what turns them on inside those places. Recently she did one for War games... I think you'll find that really interesting. I've still got the issue if you want... Ow!" Tony received a shut up headslap. He rubbed the back of his head. "Or not," he corrected him self.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony and Gibbs were lead past prop rooms until they were shown the door to one of the photography rooms. "Thanks," Tony said as they walked in. Three women dressed in bathrobes stood in front of a large green screen surrounded by fluffy teddy bears. One of the women wrapped her bathrobe around herself tighter once she noticed Tony looking in her direction.

"You two are the men from NCIS? I am Dean Haley," Dean said as he shook their hands. "What can I help you with? Take 15 girls... Help yourselves to drinks in the tea room," he took the shy woman aside. "Hey you're doing really good. But you're really camera shy. Why don't you go see Alice and tell her I sent you. Have a couple of drinks... Okay?" Dean tapped her on the shoulder. Tony turned his attention back to Gibbs and Dean. "Sorry about that," Dean said.

"First shoot?" Tony asked.

"Unless it has to do with the official reason why you're here, I am not at liberty to discuss those matters with you," Dean said flatly. It was almost a programmed response. "What brings you the GSM office?" Dean asked them.

"You're very discreet," Tony observed. "We have a person that appeared in your magazine some years ago and is now being blackmailed. We are looking at the possibility of someone who works for you being responsible," Tony explained their reasoning and got straight to the point.

"Women come here for different reasons and I run this place honestly and very tight lipped. If someone on my staff was blackmailing former model, I would deal with them before giving them to the cops," Dean responded. He took personal responsibility for the hiring and behavior of his staff.

"What about former employees getting hold of pictures?" Gibbs asked.

"After photo-shoots, we select pictures to be used, destroy the others if they don't want to keep them. We also ask them if we can keep a certain photograph in case they do a then and now shot," Dean explained. "We're very careful with those as to prevent us being responsible for blackmailing attempts. Any photographs are kept in a locked cabinet in a locked room," he added.

"Do you keep records?" Tony asked.

"Minimal," Dean answered. "Some women are able to lose their inhibitions if they know there's not a paper trail so that their past can't bite back," he told them as he lead the two NCIS agents to his office.

"Sounds like you're running an underground ring," Tony chuckled.

"How about obsessive fans?" Gibbs ignored Tony's comment. "Some sending in mail... Acting obsessive about any particular... Models?" Gibbs thought of a way to describe the women.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Of course there were angry letters from mothers and church groups as well as overly horny teenagers," Dean answered. "We seriously filter any correspondence that may occur. Last thing these women need is to be insulted or ridiculed. Any negative feedback gets shredded. Other feedback is handed over to the models and they choose whether to keep it or watch us put them through the shredder," Dean answered.

"You're very thorough," Tony said.

"Can you tell us about a former..." Gibbs looked for the right word to use.

"Models... They are models Agent Gibbs. The one who's being blackmailed?" Dean turned his computer on.

Gibbs rolled his eyes impatiently and whistled to get Tony's focus off of the pictures on the wall. "A Faith Coleman came to us for help. So if there's anything that could assist us with our investigation," Gibbs said as Dean began typing away. Gibbs went to walk around the man's desk but was held at bay with an outstretched hand.

"Faith Carla Coleman. Pictures destroyed, fan mail destroyed. No hate mail. Was insistent she'd never return," Dean explained to Gibbs.

"You oversaw the destruction of those things?" Gibbs asked.

"Not me, I was a young scrounger in Manhattan. You know... I scouted around for costumes, props and backdrops," Dean said with some pride. Good props and costumes were expensive and difficult to find. He likened it to being paid to shop.

"Oh right," Tony said. He knew about scrounges from The Great Escape and The A-Team. "You ever acquired anything fraudulently? You know, Templeton often got free things by scamming people," Tony said. Perhaps Dean Healy was blackmailing Faith Coleman into doing another photo-shoot.

Dean gave him a confused look. He had never heard of the Templeton thing. "No, never fraudulently," Dean answered. "Price haggling. Bargain hunting. Even getting cheap things and getting my mother to do alterations. It was always to do with the budget I was given. If I ever went under budget, that gave me an opportunity to add a little extra. I have never dealt underhandedly or pocketed any of the money I was assigned," Dean said as he leaned forward.

"A little defensive aren't you?" Tony raised and eyebrow and looked sideways at him.

"You would be to if someone accused you of being shady," Dean responded. He checked his watch. "Unless you have any more accusations, I really have to get back to work," he stood up. Tony and Gibbs went to leave. "Have you ever thought about doing some modeling for us?" Dean asked.

"I thought it was a man's magazine," Tony answered.

"We're looking to branch out. Draw in a wider audience. I think you'll be a great male model," Dean said to them.

"Why, thank you. But I don't think...," Tony began to say. But the thought of it was enticing.

"I was talking about him," Dean pointed to Gibbs. "You know, you have a certain rebellious authority figure look about you," Dean smirked. He had a flair for seeing the photographic potential of people. Tony huffed as he exited the office. Gibbs followed close behind with a hint of a smile.

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**NCIS BULLPEN**_

Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, McGee, Abby and Faith all met up in the bullpen. They were ready to pool what information they had gathered. It didn't matter how little and insignificant it seemed. "What have we got?" Gibbs said as he stood behind his desk. It was getting late and his impatience grew with each passing hour.

Abby was the first to speak. "Timmy and I gave the letter the full going over. We analyzed the paper, the ink and the actual wording," she said as McGee nodded in some parts. "The author has put a lot of thought into this... And planning. The ink is the type that's sold in bulk. Usually brought by Internet Cafes. Paper is from cheap reams sold at post offices and Wal-Marts. It's traceable to the point that every Tom, Dick and Harry of all ages can buy," Abby completed her explanation.

"The wording isn't straight to the point. It's more than likely the one who wrote this knows Commander Coleman personally. So we... Abby and I have thought that maybe we should start speaking to her ex-boyfriends," McGee said.

Faith looked up from her take away box. It felt awkward that they were talking about her as if she was out of the room. She wondered if this was how they normally ran things. The mention of her exes grabbed her attention. "How many of them?" She asked. Faith wiped her mouth with a napkin as soon as she realized what she said. They all looked in her direction.

"How many of them?? How many have you had?" Tony asked.

"David," Gibbs moved the conversation along. The last thing they needed was to get hooked onto one topic.

"Christopher Jones was very upfront. I do not believe he has anything to do with the blackmail. He showed genuine surprise that Commander Coleman was being blackmailed. Also, I believe that he truly believes that he'd lose more than he could possibly gain from such an act. I also talked with a few other JAG employees and none of them had anything to do with the letter," Ziva gave her conclusions of her part of the investigation.

"They're very security tight at the GSM... Very secure," Tony continued as soon as Ziva had finished. "What we have is there must be somebody who accidentally came across the the issue with Faith in it," he sighed out of frustration and began tapping the pencil against his desk subconsciously. This seemed to kick his mind into gear.

"Do you mind?" McGee asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm getting some water," Tony stood up suddenly. His mind was working overtime and maybe a slight break would quieten it down. A plan was forming in his mind but he couldn't vocalize it with his mind spinning. "Faith... Let me show you where the cooler is. You're looking thirsty," Tony said as he left the bullpen.

"What? I know...," Faith began to say.

"On my six....," he said. Tony didn't look back to see if she had obeyed his commanding tone. He filled a cup with water and smiled when Faith did the same.

"Bet you're having a good laugh," Faith said as she drunk her water. She knew that their options were dwindling.

"No, I'm not," Tony responded. "You know... There's a strong possibility that we won't find the blackmailer in time," of course it sounded pessimistic but certain facts had to be faced.

"Perhaps I can sell up," Faith sighed. That was a depressing thought.

"It's apparent that the blackmailer found that issue by chance. That this could happen all over again. You may be well off Commander Coleman but you're not _that _well off," Tony refilled his cup.

Faith nodded and swiped hair away from her eyes. "Guess I can kiss my career and reputation goodbye," she sighed sadly.

"Come on... There is one course of action left open to you," Tony had taken time to organize the plan in his mind. Now it made sense. It was time to suggest his far fetched plan. "You've heard of launching a preemptive strike right?" Tony said and waited for a response. He wondered how on Earth he could talk Faith into doing what he had thought of.


	3. Chapter 3

_**THE PLAN**_

"I'm already beginning to dislike this," Faith commented as she waited impatiently for Tony to elaborate about the preemptive strike.

"A preemptive strike. We know two things. Someone is out to blackmail you and we don't know who and you can't afford that kind of money right?" Tony waited for Faith to nod affirmatively. "Then there's only one thing to do that will end this right now. Hold a JAG conference and tell them that you posed for pictures for GSM, a girly mag and how they were of a sexual nature," Tony suggested.

Faith pondered the idea. She hated to admit that Tony could be right. This was the only course of action that was now open. "Well that would put an end to the blackmail and maybe an end to my career at the same time. My family will never look at me the same," Faith said. She couldn't believe that she had just told Tony that.

"Maybe, maybe not," Tony responded. "Release the statement and let's see how JAG handles this," Tone said. He hoped things would go the right way. It could go either way if JAG couldn't handle this privately.

"I don't know," Faith said.

"Trust me, Faith," Tony said confidently and smiled. "Me and Gibbs will go to JAG in the morning," he told her.

"So you can have front row seats to the downfall of Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman?" Faith rolled her eyes when Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Well either I let this blackmailer destroy my career or do that myself. Guess it's not much of a choice," Faith said.

"Have a little faith... Faith," Tony grinned at how it sounded.

The two walked back into the bullpen. Faith stood in its center and swallowed before speaking. She wasn't sure how the others were going to react to what she was about to say. Control was something she had always latched on to. "I appreciate all that you've done. Unfortunately, since nothing conclusive has come up at all... I believe that the only option is to hold a conference at JAG and publicly admit to my indiscretion and accept the consequences," Faith couldn't imagine what their response was going to be. She swallowed once more as she waited for them to say something.

"Alright," Gibbs responded flatly. He couldn't say with certainty if that was the wrong or right. Only time would tell.

"I said we'' be there at JAG when she issues the release," Tony nodded when McGee and Ziva agreed.

"Wouldn't want to miss this," McGee muttered under his breath.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**JAG FALLS CHURCH**_

News of a press release from one of their top lawyers spread. Almost everyone was there. Ziva and Tony walked around the podium seemingly unnoticed amongst the curious chatter from the audience. "Well I said we'll have front row seats," Tony winked at Ziva.

"Behind the podium is not front row," Ziva corrected quickly.

"Depends on which way you're facing, Zi," Tony said to her. He continued watching the other people. Of course they were curious. After all that was human nature. That was something he had counted on. "Good luck," Tony said to Faith as she took her position behind the podium. Ziva and Tony stood back like it was a choreographed move.

"Thank you for coming to this impromptu conference. I hadn't counted on so many of my colleagues being here. Also this is going to be televised on the local news," Faith began. Her hands rested palm down on each side of the podium. "As you all are aware of, I am the defense lawyer in the upcoming Jayson case. All in all, one of the most important attributes for a lawyer is reputation. I am here now because several years ago, in university, I posed for provocative pictures for a magazine called GSM. Why have I come out with this now? I must think about my client's interest first. This coming to light mid case may be damaging. That is all," Faith nodded.

There was loud murmuring in surprised tones coming from the audience. Everybody's reaction was the same. Tony knew what he was looking for and he continued to scan the room until that very thing was found. That didn't take long. "There," he got Ziva's attention and pointed to a man going through a door.

Tony didn't wait for the others to follow his lead. He thought about stopping to signal the others to follow but dismissed it. He nudged the door open as he ran through. There wasn't enough time to explain what was going on to curious onlookers.

"Stop!" Tony called out.

Of course the man wasn't obeying. Tony caught a glimpse of Ziva running just a couple of feet to his left. That was when an opportunity presented itself. Using a chair as a stepping stone, Tony managed to get on the counter top, he ignored a woman's protest as he ran over her paperwork. With an adrenaline assisted spring, Tony flew through the air and tackled the suspect to the floor. It took a moment for his stomach to catch up with his body.

"That was a good move," Ziva said as she pointed her sig at the suspect and waited for Tony to pick him up.

"Thanks... I think even Hannibal would've been proud," Tony chuckled.

"What are you doing, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He and McGee finally caught up with the action.

"Here's the blackmailer, Boss," Tony couldn't help but smirk. There was only one thing missing and that was the opportunity to rip off the mask and reveal the shocking twist.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**NCIS Bullpen**_

Tony, McGee and Ziva sat at their desks. "I wonder what JAG is going to do with Commander Coleman," Tony said as he put his hands behind his head. The Blackmailer, Adam Jones had confessed and frankly, Tony was proud that his plan had worked out.

"Don't know," McGee responded.

"Maybe you can ask her," Ziva suggested. She had just seen Faith entering the area.

Faith was dressed in her casual clothes once again. "I have personally come here to thank you all," Faith said.

"What's the verdict?" Tony asked.

Faith was surprised that he'd ask that question. "Haven't heard yet... Guess it's still under review," she answered. "I'm just relieved that I no longer have my past hanging over my head. Who would've thought I'd have NCIS to thank for that," Faith smiled out of relief. Her past had come back to bite her and she had muzzled it.

"I love it when a plan comes together," Tony's smile broadened and he chuckled at the reference.

"There's no way that you planned any of this," McGee said. Everything was too random.

"Oh yeah?" Tony said as he leaned back in his chair. "I suspected someone at JAG was responsible and knew that if that was the case... Commander Coleman here holding a press conference would attract everybody in JAG. I looked for someone who wasn't surprised about what she had to say. That person, Adam Jones was not surprised but in a hurry to get out of there," Tony explained.

"Adam Jones," Faith shook her head. "Didn't think he'd do anything like that," she added.

"Well he was sick of being at the bottom... He thought if he discredited a high-powered lawyer, that would help him up the ladder a bit. Apparently he was by the book and felt like he was getting nowhere and when he found out about your seedy past he saw the opportunity to take you down," Tony explained the man's reasoning. "Guess he saw no other way," he said.

"You guys never cease to amaze me," Faith said as she opened her briefcase. "I want to lay my past to rest for good... Here," Faith dropped an issue of GSM on Tony's desk.

Tony waited a moment to give Faith a slight window of opportunity to change her mind but she didn't say or do anything. Tony slid the magazine towards himself and opened the issue to the only marked page. "I know you'll dig and dig until you find that issue. Surprised you haven't already. So by my terms, you're seeing it. It's all about control," Faith waited for Tony's response.

Tony studied the full page picture. It was of a younger Faith dressed in dominatrix gear... Barely. She had a lot of flesh around the midsection and thighs showing. She held a cat-o nine tail whip with the handle in one hand and the other end resting loosely in the other. In front of her was nine lion cubs in perfect alignment. The caption at the bottom of page read... "Control is Power and Power is Sexy."

Tony closed the magazine and handed it back. "Let me have it," Faith said as she thought Tony was going to tease the hell of of her.

"Actually... You look really good," Tony thought that GSM was great at bring to life, peoples' personalities. They really showed the individual model in full life.

Faith wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh, thanks," she eventually said. Her cell interrupted the awkward moment. She held up her hand and answered her call, thankful for the interruption.

"That was worth the wait," Tony smiled at McGee and Ziva.

"Guess that has made your wee. You look as pleased as juice," Ziva observed.

"Punch... And yes, I'm as pleased as punch," Tony confirmed the fact. He watched Faith stand in front of him again.

"I don't have time to stand around all day. I have my job to do," Faith smiled. She felt fortunate that she was still working and still had the case to work on.

"Good," Tony was glad that everything worked out. NCIS and JAG had its happy ending. He wondered they'll ever again work together instead of butting heads at every turn. He gave Faith a little wave.

McGee was surprised when Faith dropped the GSM issue on his desk. "You might as well see it to," Faith said as she exited the bullpen.

McGee opened up the magazine and looked at the picture and began choking as his face turned bright red. "You act like you've never seen inside a GSM before," Tony said and Ziva chuckled. "You okay, Probie?" He laughed.

"Yeah I think I just swallowed something," McGee answered as he quickly closed the magazine.

"That's not exactly a good thing to say while you're reading a girly mag, McGee," Tony said as he hid his smile.

McGee was startled a bit when a hand reached down snatched the magazine from the desk. He winced when Gibbs used it to slap him across the head. "Your mother knows you read this?" Gibbs said as he walked back to desk. An unseen smile crept across his face as he binned the magazine and hoped that that would be the last they hear of this.


End file.
